Hold on a minute guys, The club is supposedly looking at Kante or Krammer as a DM. Krammer has already signed with a new club and Kante is in talks with someone (I forget who, but it was an EPL team), plus they are in discussions with Juve for Pogba. So in reality, I believe the plan is both Kante and Pogba, if they can be signed.

The problem with Kroos is first off he isn't a DM, and when playing as a CB, he and Modric are too much the same and we don't have any vertical forward movement. We need someone aka Pogba to provide that. So basically it comes down to (if we do sign the two targets) Modric or Kroos. I (and most here) say it's Modric! Pogba coming likely means Kroos or Isco has to go. I think they would like it to be Kroos but only if he accepts a backup role.

That's just the starting position. If Kroos was thrown in the deal that will substantially lower what they are asking for plus don't forget that they also want Kovacic, Isco and Morata! Pogba apparently wants to come (or so we have heard) and he apparently has word that Juve will let him go if he says so. This is just Juve trying initially to make it difficult for Perez. Plus keep in mind that the meeting between Juve and Madrid hasn't yet taken place and also that Pogba's agent met yesterday with Madrid. This is going to go on for a while and both clubs will likely use media to faciliate they various positions.

For those of you saying you don't want Pogba, it is pretty obvious now that Zidane and club want him and equally so Pogba's interest in Madrid. But Juve wll try to extract the highest price they can get. This is why initially Flo and Zidane were very careful about their interest.

He's playing out of position for NT keep in mind... For Juve, he's asked to fill the attacking mid role cutting in from the left. At NT, he's asked to play conservatively and on the right since Payet is the AM and Griezmann is also there. Payet coming on recently has shifted his role and he hasn't adjusted yet... he had his best period when Valbuena was out and Martial was starting. He could play more naturally.

Since we would be playing him on his usual left side and ask him to be the attacking support behind bbc... I think it fits him perfectly.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I wouldn't go as far as to call him a "scrub" though, but I pray with every fiber of my being, every single day, to never see Pogba wearing the white of Madrid. I mean, good lord! The guy is brutally and criminally overrated!

@futbol_bill wrote:Sports what did you think of the 4-3-1-2 formation someone suggested earlier today?

Navas

Carvajal Varane Ramos Marcelo

Casemiro (or Kante)

Modric Kroos

Pogba

Bale Ronaldo

That... might actually work... if bale and cr7 work the cbs. Which they dont. Cr7 piggybacks benz and though bale can do it. You're asking them to run every game as they must make the width themselves. BBC i admit is rather lazy. The laziness factor kills that plan before it even starts.

Pogba is coming. We just have start accepting reality.Word has it that its Zidane who wants him on the team. If Zidane could bench the high-profile flair players like isco and james for Casemiro, then we don't expect him to be stupid enough to destabilize the balance.Let's trust Zizou. Maybe he wants to make a busquet out of Pogba.

Again, Pogba is an attacking player who can defend... but he is by no means a defensive player. So there is no way he will become or wants to be Busquets. Yaya Toure is a much better comparison. Or if you want to go further back... Michael Ballack.

That's entirely false Valky... Pogba is miles ahead of Kroos. Miles. Come on now. Modric is better at this point. BUT, Modric isn't an attacking player, which is what we lack out of the midfield. The idea is to have a guy who is a threat jumping in to help BBC, a guy who can hold the ball up AND someone who can individually pierce the midfield line via the dribble. None... and i mean not a single one of our mids... can do that. Isco could but he's not a midfielder.

What you're looking for is complimentary midfielders. Casemiro is the DM, Modric is the guy who manages the middle of the park and Pogba is the guy who brings the attacking threat while still doing his job as a CM.

There is no footballing nor performance evidence to that point. Kroos is in his own right a fantastic midfielder. He has strengths are qualities pogba might never have, a level of passing and ability to read and pause the game which is far far far ahead of pogba. Just as Pogba have strengths, mostly physical and technical that Kroos cant reach. At worst we are talking about the same level of players, at best, Kroos has done and achieved more in his individual showing in europe, and international tournaments.

Evidence? How about Pogba is considered the best midfielder in Serie A the past two seasons for those who actually follow Serie A and the Italian media. He's a superstar. Why do you think Juve fans are going mental with the prospect of losing him?

In no universe is Kroos considered a superstar or one of the best at anything in terms of being a midfielder... never has and never will be. He's always been considered a good midfielder and nothing more.

People forget what a horror show Kroos was the second half of last season and this season until mid Feb.

Technical ability ? Depends on what you think when you talk about technique. Pogba is a better dribbler than Kroos and flashier, but in my opinion when it comes to pure technique the German is immaculate. His first touch, ball control, the way he hits the ball with both feet are plain and simple world class. And that's not even his greatest strength. Ever since Xavi's decline, Toni's understanding of space and movement is in the best in the world bracket. Pogba edges him in the physical department but Kroos' off the charts football IQ places him abov the Frenchman from my point of view. Hopefully we'll see a matchup between the 2 in the coming weeks

Thing is, Pogba is only rated if he is dominant and a superstar on the pitch... if he's just ok, it's a failure for him. Kroos, on the other hand, is a complementary player. He doesn't have those expectations.

I don't think it's a good comparison. There's a reason Kroos costs 35ish mil while Pogba is going to cost 100+. Completely different stratosphere of player... not that Kroos is bad mind you. He's a good CM.

Busquets is a better defender, better passer short and long and just as good technically... and very consistent which is a knock on Pogba. Again, no idea what you're going on about. One is a DM while the other is a attacking B2B